Hands on with a vintage Radio Shack 160-in-1 electronic project kit #RadioShack #ShackToberFest

R. X. Seger writes on Medium about a decades old all-in-one electronic project kit. Shown above is the Science Fair 160-in-1 Electronic Project Kit, #28–258 (image source: eBay), © 1982.

With a modest number of components, 160 projects could easily be built by inserting wires into the spring terminals connected to each component. An included manual guided you through each of the projects, introducing new concepts and providing structure, while still offering some latitude of freedom to tinker — but, crucially, not the nearly-infinite amount of latitude available on modern electronic marketplaces today. You are constrained by the components in the kit (unless you add your own).

There was something about the 1980’s kits (this was also during the heydey of Heathkit, 1947–1992) which I feel may have not been captured in today’s modern hobbyist popular electronics.

Radio Shack sold a variety of xxx-in-one kits over the years, from a 10-in-one to a large 300-in-one projects experimentation kit. Each came with a book of projects to build using the components.

Seger finds the manuals for some of the kits and presents the components. Circuits from the manual are built and some more modern components swapped in.

Check out the complete walk-through in the article here.

On the heels of #SepTandy, Adafruit is celebrating #ShackToberFest, presenting all things Radio Shack and Tandy. Tag your social media posts #ShackToberFest!


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